The Topi is in the family of the antelopes. With lyre-shaped thick and heavily ringed horns about 21inches
When seen physically, topis have dark-mask coloration on their face and reddish brown bodies with dark p
patches on their upper legs, elongated heads with a hump on the base of the neck. They are about 150 – 200
the shoulders. You can distinguish their sex from the size and colour because the male tend to be larger and d
than the female. In motion, the topis travel at a jog and are one of the fastest antelopes in Africa.

The topis are usually numerous or absent in an area. They love the grasslands and therefore usually m
between pasture like treeless plains, savannas, open grasslands and stay along the edge so as to use the shed
weather. In most cases they are densely populated in areas where the green plants last into the dry season, u
near water. Topis take small bites at a fast rate as they scavenge for food and if the green vegetation is plen
them, they can survive without water and usually drink water when feeding on dry or no grass. They usually sta
vantage points like termite mounds to look at their surroundings.
The organization of the topis is made up of territories established by the male. The female are then attr
together with their offspring in herds, while in a territory the function of the female is to be the resident m
harem. In addition, a male and his females defend their territory therefore a herd being closed. A female only j
herd if she is allowed. The topis live in flocks or sometimes in loosely organized herds of 15-20 and in some p
they are as many as hundreds, thus their flexible social structure. Usually in more densely populated areas a
topis move across plains, animals come together in huge numbers indiscriminately. The male form small temp
territories in which they shepherd the females, this usually happens in the sedentary population, even when
stop for a few hours.
The female have a specific time of the year for calving. When the male form groups, the most dominant take u
center and the less dominant take up the boundaries of that cluster. The estrous female in a group or alone enter the group where they mate with the male in the center. The less dominant male may get a chan
reproduction if they are close to the water. The female therefore fight to mate with the dominant male since
come into estrous for only one day in a year.
The female also act or behave like the dominant male in their absence, to protect their territory. Their fidelit
territory can last up to 3years. They are also able to stall the labor process if they suspect immediate dange
topis spend most time mingling with other animals like the wildebeests, zebras, ostriches and gazelles. Predat
topis include lions, spotted hyenas and jackals that usually target the newborns, though the topis are known to
a low predation rate when other species are present.